Titanium foam bone replacements on the way

Back in June, those brainy folks over at Germany’s Fraunhofer research group announced the development of Resobone, a material designed to replace the titanium plates used to patch holes in peoples’ skulls. Now, perhaps a little ironically, they’ve announced the creation of TiFoam – a titanium foam to be used for replacing injured bone. Unlike Resobone, TiFoam is intended for load-bearing areas, where a balance of strength and flexibility are essential. Like Resobone, however, it’s designed to encourage surrounding bone to grow into the implant.

Typically, the more stress a bone has to endure, the thicker and stronger it gets. Traditional titanium bone replacements tend to be stiffer than the bone to which they’re attached, so the implant ends up taking most of the load of activities such as walking, lifting, or even just standing. This results in the bone not having to take as much of that load itself, and thus not retaining its strength. In some cases the bone can even deteriorate, to the point that the implant has to be reattached.

TiFoam, on the other hand, is designed to be as flexible as the adjacent bone. Patients are advised to engage in load-bearing activities immediately after insertion, as these will encourage bone cells and blood vessels to grow into the foam’s interior matrix, incorporating the implant into the skeletal structure.

The material is made by saturating open-cell polyurethane foam with a fine titanium powder and a binding agent. Once the titanium has bonded to the various nooks and crannies, the foam and the binding agent are vaporized. What’s left is nothing but titanium, which is then heated and compressed to form something with a structure very much like that of the spongiosa inside bones.

InnoTERE, one of Fraunhofer’s partners in the project, has announced that it will soon start manufacturing TiFoam implants.

An experienced freelance writer, videographer and television producer, Ben's interest in all forms of innovation is particularly fanatical when it comes to human-powered transportation, film-making gear, environmentally-friendly technologies and anything that's designed to go underwater. He lives in Edmonton, Alberta, where he spends a lot of time going over the handlebars of his mountain bike, hanging out in off-leash parks, and wishing the Pacific Ocean wasn't so far away. All articles by Ben CoxworthFollow @bencoxworth

This is all a bit `Wolverine` for my tastes, and I say that as someone with a 17" titanium pin down the centre of the bone in one leg... :)

snave 24th September, 2010 @ 04:38 am PDT

Sure, it sounds a little like something out of a cyberpunk novel, but it seems like it'd be a great idea (if it works). After all, not only does this address the deterioration issue present with today's pins and plates, having the titanium integrated into the bone structure itself will likely serve to prevent future damage.

Andrew Christianson 24th September, 2010 @ 12:39 pm PDT

Fantastic developments!

Facebook User 24th September, 2010 @ 01:26 pm PDT

I'd volunteer to have a some bones replaced for a set of Titanium retractable claws. Oh wait...they don't have mutant healing power yet... Think I'll wait, cuz claws probably hurt like hell cutting through your skin.

V-4-Vendetta 24th September, 2010 @ 01:48 pm PDT

A fantastic example of "Bio-Morphing" using millions of years of natures R&D paired with modern tech materials.